Chapter 56
This was exactly one of those times.
[DUNGEON GUIDE] ‘Protect the Faction From External Intruders – Stage 3’ is starti—
[DUNGEON GUIDE] ERROR!
[DUNGEON GUIDE] No information available.
An unexpected situation had suddenly occurred.
Just as the countdown on the quest was about to end, and I was preparing to see the system, this message appeared out of nowhere.
‘What could it be?’
This had never happened before.
Why did it error out? Did the round actually start? What’s happening with my quest?
There were so many questions I wanted to ask, but no one was around to answer them.
I really had no idea what was going on.
As my head was about to burst from the complexity, I absent-mindedly touched the ear that Cha Si-hyeon had pressed earlier while rubbing my face.
A flat piercing was stuck to my ear.
I stood up, hoping to clear my head, and made my way into the hallway.
Then I heard footsteps following me from behind. After trying to ignore it, I turned around.
“Why are you following me?”
“Don’t you know why I’m following you?”
“…..”
Baek Doha, who had been following me for a while, smiled brightly.
Seeing my perplexed expression, he shrugged as if to tell me not to be tense and leaned against the wall. Even though he was just getting into position to talk to me, his visuals were somehow worthy of a photoshoot. I was briefly amazed by his long stretched legs and shining face before he asked,
“Do you have any guesses?”
As expected. It was the question I had anticipated.
After a moment of silence, I answered.
“A little.”
Knowing that playing dumb wouldn’t work with Baek Doha, I had no intention of hiding anything.
He already knew that Cha Si-hyeon and I had encountered the murderer, and that we hadn’t fought it at all. Lies wouldn’t work.
“Was that murderer a monster?”
Baek Doha asked before I could add anything. See, he’s already predicting everything.
“It was a monster. It took human form, but it was clearly a monster.”
“I thought so. There were no traces, so it seemed unlikely to be human.”
Baek Doha muttered as if he had expected this to some extent. Recalling the monster, I carefully opened my mouth.
“It seemed to be looking for something.”
Whether it was an object or a person, I couldn’t be sure…
“Something it wants to find and kill?”
Baek Doha tilted his head.
“It could be a grudge.”
With just one piece of information thrown out, Baek Doha immediately drew the same conclusion as me.
“Usually, when a monster is said to be searching for something, it’s likely to be one holding a grudge against someone.”
Now that even Baek Doha had the same thought, the speculation became almost certain.
Thinking that Baek Doha really couldn’t be fooled, I stroked my chin.
“The problem is, who does it hold a grudge against…”
In response to my muttering, Baek Doha answered.
“It could just be against humans in general. Monsters typically dislike humans.”
“I don’t think that’s it. Last night, when it saw a woman, it said ‘Not you.'”
If it just wanted to kill people, there would be no need to say ‘not you’ to that woman before killing her, right?
‘But that thing clearly took the form of a monster…’
Nothing was readable from ‘Peek (S)’.
If it were an ordinary monster, it would have been readable for sure.
‘The man I saw before seemed just like a human, but this one showed a bit more monstrous characteristics.’
As I was recalling the monster’s distinctive voice and eeriness, Baek Doha, who had been stroking his chin, spoke again.
“Hmm… It would be easier if we knew where this monster came from.”
“It appeared before Stage 3 started, so it doesn’t seem to be a monster that came through the system.”
“I guess so. Was there anything unusual that happened after Stage 2 ended and before the murders started?”
Sometimes small changes can lead to big results, he added. I shook my head at his words.
“Nothing at all.”
I had been inside the faction since then, so I had no idea what the situation outside was like.
Still, wondering if there might have been something, I was retracing my memories when suddenly.
“Did it seem very strong?”
I hesitated at the abrupt question.
“Stronger than Cha Si-hyeon?”
…There’s no way Cha Si-hyeon would have told everything about that night.
‘Is it trust?’
The belief that Cha Si-hyeon wouldn’t have just let it go, that it was still alive because I had stopped him.
“I don’t know.”
It’s not just a matter of being strong or weak.
“I didn’t know, so I acted that way.”
Because I didn’t have the information, there wasn’t a single thing I could be certain about.
“You did well.”
It was then that a hand came to rest on my head as I hung it low.
I looked up at Baek Doha with wide eyes.
“Even if Cha Si-hyeon is S-rank, there’s no guarantee he won’t lose to anyone.”
Saying that, Baek Doha gently stroked my head.
“Trust yourself.”
Hearing those words, I suddenly realized that this might have been exactly what I needed to hear right now.
“Take a good rest today without going out. Whatever it is, it’s not too late to do it after you wake up.”
After saying that, Baek Doha removed his hand from my head.
As the slight weight and warmth disappeared, I watched Baek Doha’s retreating back before turning away myself.
‘Talking did help organize my thoughts, but…’
I still felt uneasy.
While I was having tea time with Gidain in the faction, playing word games with Cha Si-hyeon, sleeping with Mungchi, and talking with Shin Sawol, what on earth…
“Oh?”
Suddenly, a thought crossed my mind, and I hesitated in my steps.
‘Come to think of it…’
“They said they broke a mirror while fighting among the faction members.”
It was certainly a very trivial incident.
However, sometimes small changes could lead to big results.
💎
In the dark night, I carefully stepped alone inside the faction where all the lights were off, both in the central hall and in each room.
As I descended the long staircase, the spacious central hall spread out before me. I approached the door of the passage located at the end of the hall. It was a passage connected to the territory of the 2nd-ranked faction. Thankfully, thanks to Dumansik’s good repair work, a sturdy log door greeted me.
‘Whether it’s strong or not doesn’t matter.’
I need to know the information. Why it’s killing people, what abilities it has, and…
‘Where it appeared from.’
And if my prediction is correct…
I took a short breath and grabbed the door handle of the passage.
The moment I pulled it to open the passage door, I almost screamed.
[You, are you my sister?]
Because that monster was right in front of my eyes.
💎
Clink.
Baek Doha blinked slowly while swallowing the warm tea.
A cool breeze came through the open window.
After admiring the view that was hard to believe was inside a dungeon, Baek Doha leaned back on the sofa and spoke.
“Are you coming out now?”
His voice echoed into the air.
A moment of silence.
“……”
Then, footsteps echoed.
Cha Si-hyeon, who had been perfectly hiding his presence behind the wall, clicked his tongue.
“Damn sensitive bastard.”
💎
I encountered a monster that might be stronger than even S-rank, just the two of us. What should I do then?
Fight? Shout to call the S-ranks in the faction? Just run away?
Before I could think, my brain froze. I started acting without thinking and naturally took a step back. Just as I was about to pretend I didn’t see anything and turn back.
[D-Don’t go…]
The monster caught me.
Pretending not to see was immediately over.
Cold sweat ran down my back. If I run away now after being called so kindly, wouldn’t that really start a fight? But even if I get caught, we’d end up fighting anyway, so isn’t it the same either way? As all kinds of thoughts were running through my head.
[M-My sister…]
The monster mumbled.
“…Sister?”
[You…]
As I stepped back in confusion, the monster started to frown slightly.
With a face that looked so human-like, it made a “Kieeek!” sound.
[You’re not my sister…!]
Just as I thought I should avoid it, my neck was grabbed. Ugh! Where does such strength come from in that small body!
As I struggled and choked under the tremendous grip strangling my neck, it muttered to itself.
[I have to find my sister…]
And slowly turned to look at me.
[But you’re not her, so die!]
My head kept spinning as the grip tightened even more. I couldn’t breathe, and my vision was getting blurrier. In that state, I managed to utter a word.
“Yo-your sister.”
I don’t know what thought made me say that word. But to my surprise, the pale white hand strangling my neck flinched as if it understood my words.
[Have you seen my sister…?]
It was responding to the word ‘sister.’ This was an opportunity.
“I—I saw them! I know where they are!”
I shouted, thinking I had to survive first.
The monster released its hand from my neck as if it had been waiting for this. I collapsed to the ground as my legs gave out and caught my breath.
I really almost died…!
I slowly raised my head to look at the monster in the form of a little girl.
Anxiety came before the relief of barely surviving.
Of course…
[Where’s my sister?]
Because it was a lie.
💎
Thank you for reading! ♡
